by SJ Hayslett
"And don't you dare lay into Paul and Connor, because I didn't know they were there until you sent them in like goons. I can't believe you even have the nerve! You ignore me only to later meet up with your she-wolf of a whore and then expect me to all of a sudden be your mate."
"Wait. Wait one second. What are you talking about," Reed asked a steaming mad Evony. "What she-wolf?"
"Blair, or as she likes to introduce herself as, Luna Blair. Look, I wasn't hoping to find my mate anytime soon, so if you're gonna reject me, just get it over with. But don't expect me to sit here and w-" Reed's face fell, hoping against hope that she hadn't run into Blair on her way in.
"Stop it!" Evony mentally gave him props for silencing her without using his alpha command on her. But she wasn't going to let him off easy because of that either. Reed took a couple of steps so that he was standing directly in front of Evony. She could almost feel his breath caressing her forehead. "Now explain to me, what happened with Blair? And before you do, please know that she is not the luna of this pack." Reed said in a much calmer and lower voice. It was almost seductive to Evony's ears.
"For the record, I know she's not the alpha female, she's an idiot for trying to intimidate me with a shirt that showed that she was unmarked. But what does what she said matter? I still felt you with her. Though I'm assuming that you guys only had a make out session because that was a little fast. But still, the least you could have done was reject me before you hopped into another wolf's embrace."
Reed sighed and ran his hand down his face in frustration. "Evony. Nothing happened between Blair and me. Well, not on my end anyway." Reed struggled to get his words out because it was only in that moment that he realized that Evony felt some sort of pain when Blair invaded his office and tried her hardest to rekindle the relationship he ended just that afternoon. They had a friends-with-benefits type relationship, but he was never aware until the break-up that she had hoped for more. "Yes we used to be together, but there were no feelings involved, at least I didn't think there were. Anyways, after I found you this morning, I broke things off for good with Blair, but she turned up in my office just before you got here and tried to start things up again. I didn't even kiss her back. It never dawned on me that you would feel that when it wasn't consensual."
The fire cooled underneath Evony's skin and she didn't have the energy to stand, let alone be angry with him anymore. But Evony couldn't deny the hurt that still lingered. "Why did you walk away from me?"
"You weren't what I expected." Evony deflated and took a couple of steps back. Upon seeing her move away from him, Reed took the two steps towards her to close the distance even more. "No, I didn't say that right. You're just younger than I expected. You just turned eighteen, and I'm almost ten years older than you. You're at the same age I was when I stepped up as alpha after my aunt and uncle died. And-"
"Wait! You're my cousin? How could the goddess get that wrong?"
Reed was a little taken aback at Evony's outburst, but then started laughing. "Not by blood. I wasn't related to Lawrence or Josephine. They took me in when they found me after a rogue attack on my pack. I only called them uncle and aunt."
Evony calmed down quite a bit with his revelation. "Anyways, since that time, I've made a number of enemies, and with you being so young, I wasn't sure if you could handle this life."
"So because of an assumption, based solely on age mind you, you assumed that I wasn't alpha material?"
"It wasn't based on age alone. I knew who you were the second I saw you. I knew that you were Alpha Morris' daughter. I knew that you loved working at the wolf sanctuary after school. I even knew that you absolutely adore your wolf's black coat because it has a hint of brown on the flanks and a gray muzzle."
"How did you know all of this?"
"I have to know my enemies and their weaknesses. And oddly enough you weren't Alpha Jermaine's weakness. I wonder why?"
"My relationship with my father was somewhat strained and is none of your business." Evony had enough. She came here demanding answers, and now she knew that there was someone spying on her father's pack. But thanks to the amnesty, she couldn't even say anything. But she wasn't sure if that disturbed her less than confirmation that she wasn't important enough to her father to be considered his weakness. "What does telling me all of this mean? Nothing you think you know about me tells you what I can and cannot handle. So don't you dare think of using any of it against me."
"You're right. Can you forgive me? As my mate, can you forgive me?" Evony's eyes softened at Reed's plea and she nodded towards him. As soon as his rough palm rested along her face, Evony knew she was a goner and nodded.
'My mate.'
Chapter 8
Evony woke up in her dorm with a smile on her face. After they'd reconciled, Evony and Reed only spent about twenty minutes talking and getting to know each other. Evony wondered if they came to the right conclusion to keep their mate bond a secret for now. Evony's wolf and more than likely Reed's wolf as well, disagreed with the decision, but Evony wanted to make friends and a life in Blood Moon without people behaving a certain way only because she was to be the next alpha female.
"That means no more guards following me around," Evony had pointed out while she was curled in his arms. She was amazed at how comfortable she was able to be with him despite only knowing him for such a short amount of time.
"Absolutely not. If I can't mark you just yet, I need to know you're safe at all times. And since I can't follow you around all day, you have a guard that I can mind link to. It's either that or I mark you and everyone knows you're my mate." Reed could kind of see where she was coming from as far as her relationships being tainted because of what her title was, versus what those same relationships would be based solely on who she was as a person. But that didn't mean that he was going to leave her unprotected in the meantime just so that she could have a few natural and organic friendships.
"But how can I make friends if your enforcers are everywhere I go? Everyone is going to know something's up."
Evony could feel Reed shrug from behind her. "I'll just tell my pack that due to the pending war, you were being placed under pack watch and no harm was to come to you while you're on pack lands. I don't know, I don't really care. The only way you leave this office without my mark, is with a guard."
Evony didn't mind conceding to his terms, especially since she happened to enjoy Paul and Connor's company. She knew how possessive male wolves could get when it came to their mates. Honestly, Evony wasn't even sure if she even expected him to change his position, she was sure before she even opened her mouth, that he wasn't.
Not really looking forward to getting out of bed, but at the same time she knew she needed to, Evony grabbed a change of clothes and underwear and made her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Once she was back in her room, she pulled out her phone and called for a taxi, before she tied other shoes and grabbed her purse. When Evony got on the elevator, she smiled when she checked her messages and saw a text from Reed.
REED: Good morning beautiful
EVONY: Hey good morning ;)
The elevator doors opened to the first floor and Evony got out and headed straight for the parking lot where she asked the cab to wait for her. By the time she reached the spot, the cab pulled up at the same time as her phone chimed with an incoming text message.
"Hi. I'm going to the Jeep dealership. It's on Mystic Ave," she told the driver. After he reset the meter, they were on the way. Evony settled into the backseat and checked her phone.
REED: plans for today?
Instead of replying via text, Evony decided to just call him. As it rang, she hoped he wasn't busy in a meeting or something.
"Hello?" His voice sent a shiver throughout her entire body. How could she respond so quickly to him, even with just his voice?
"Hey. Sorry if you're busy. I just didn't feel like texting when it's so much easier to just talk."
"No worries. I'm just lo
oking over the new patrol schedule. What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. I'm on my way to get a car. Having to rely on rides and cabs is not something that I'm used to." Evony chuckled. When she paid attention to her surroundings outside, she noticed that the street was lined with dealership after dealership. They were getting close, she was sure. "Hey, I gotta go, I'm about to pull in the dealership now."
"Alright. What are you thinking of getting?" He asked.
"Ahhh," the cab driver had silently indicated the fare and Evony reached into her bag for her money. "I'm looking at a Jeep. Should I call you when I'm done?" She stepped out of the cab after paying and started walking towards the new cars on the lot.
"Yeah that's fine. I'll talk to you later." Evony replied okay and they both hung up the phone. No sooner had her eyes settled on a Jeep Wrangler did a statuesque woman walk out to greet her. Evony slipped her phone in her back pocket and waited for her to come closer.
"Hi, how are you? I'm Stella David, how can I help you today?"
For the next twenty minutes Stella showed her brochures on the different Jeep models before Evony finally decided she would be happiest with a Wrangler, like the one she was looking at earlier.
"Are you sure you want to look at the Rubicon Hard Rock?" Stella asked. "The one that you're looking at is retailed at forty-nine thousand." Taking one look at the saleswoman, Evony noticed a smirk that probably indicated that Stella didn't think she could afford it. 'Let her think what she wanted,' Evony thought to herself. She looked back at the gray SUV and just knew it was perfect for any possible off-roading that she'd be doing, additionally she figured a Jeep was just what she'd need to be able to get around the rumored harsh winters of the northeast.
"That's what she said isn't it?" Reed's voice assaulted Evony's body to the core, and she was definitely convinced that even though she hadn't seen him yet, her body definitely knew him as her mate.
'He really does it for us huh?' Her wolf preened herself. Evony wasn't sure if she was rolling her eyes at her wolf or the saleswoman who was also preening at her mate.
Evony turned around and saw Reed walking closer to her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "What are you doing here?" She inquired.
"I was in the neighborhood," Reed insisted. He didn't want to admit that just the mere phone call with Evony wasn't enough to sate him or his wolf. He practically craved her, and didn't like the distance that they were keeping in between them. Logically, he knew it was for the right reasons. He knew firsthand that people treated people differently once they were in position, and with Evony being new to the area and the pack, not to mention she was from a rival pack, she already had her work cut out for her. It would be hard for her to discern real relationships from those who just want to use her. Strategically, he had no idea how his enemies, particularly her father and Alpha Daniels would receive the news that they were mates. Just the thought of using her as a pawn of war didn't sit right with him. However, it didn't mean that he was happy with the idea of hiding themselves until the right time.
"Yeah okay," Evony muttered too low for Stella to hear. For her benefit, Evony spoke louder, "We'd like to test drive this one."
Stella nodded and said, "right away," before running off to grab the keys for the Jeep Wrangler.
"I didn't picture you for a Jeep lover." Reed said once Stella was well out of earshot.
"It's definitely not like the luxury vehicles my dad always had on hand. But just from what I saw of your territory yesterday, I figured I'd need something that was better suited to get around it ya know, for when I don't let my wolf out." Reed nodded his approval. He smiled thinking of the she-wolves that were in his pack and their BMW's and Audi's that were parked more often than not because they couldn't handle all of the terrain of the territory. About eighty-five percent of the rugged vehicles belonged to the men of the pack.
"I missed you." Reed bent over enough to kiss the spot he intended to mark her.
"I missed you too." Evony wanted to say more but Stella interrupted her when she reappeared with the temporary tags and the key.
"Alright here you go," Evony noticed that Stella had a fresh coat of lip gloss and her once professional look was now trashy since she opened one additional button to her shirt. However the scent of her arousal was just, eww.
"Thanks," Evony took the key from her hand and climbed into the driver seat. "Could I do this drive with my boyfriend by ourselves. We have some things to discuss privately."
A stunned Stella, could only stand there and nod as Reed joined Evony in the SUV, barely containing his snickers.
"Babe, were you jealous?" Reed teased from the passenger seat as Evony started the ignition.
"No. There's no need to get jealous over something, well in this case 'someone', that's already mine. I just don't like envious bitches." Evony huffed, liking the way the SUV handled corners. "And besides, she didn't even try to be subtle about it. But enough about that, why exactly were you in the neighborhood?"
"I told you, I missed you. And also to extend an invitation for a tour of the territory tonight." Evony smiled at his sentiment and invitation, but she knew she was going to protest the tour. She couldn't very well go on the tour with him without people wondering why she was getting special treatment.
"I would love to Reed, but I thought we agreed on not drawing attention to our status."
"It won't be like that, as much as I wish it could be. It's more like an orientation for the new wolves, and unfortunately, I won't be participating. It's something I would normally attend but there are some pack relations that I need to take care of at the next pack over. Garrett will be running things tonight."
"Oh," Evony was a little disappointed that she wouldn't see him tonight. But she knew that in order for her to have anything real with the wolves of this pack, it was important to know which personalities she'd get along with as a normal she-wolf. However, she was mildly amused at what argument she was going to get into with Garrett.
"Awesome."
~*~
Reed told Evony to meet Garrett at the front of the pack house at seven. He knew that Evony wanted to keep things quiet from the pack, but her safety was too important to follow through with games. So, unbeknownst to Evony, Reed made the decision to call Garrett into his office.
"What's up boss?" Garrett said once he entered the office. Garrett was the only other person in the pack who had unfiltered access to the fortified office.
"Everything all set for tonight while I'm away?" Reed never even looked up from the computer on his desk. "I'm headed out in about twenty minutes." Once he left Evony after she paid for her SUV, he went straight back to the office in order to take care of some lingering emails and phone calls that needed to be made before he left for the evening.
"Yep. Everyone should be arriving in about an hour. The meadow is already set up for the mixer, and the enforcers that aren't on border patrol are ready for the run at nine." Garrett was comfortable in the plush chair that was opposite his best friend. He could tell something was going on with Reed, he seemed more anxious in the last couple of days. Of course, Garrett trusted that Reed would tell him when he was ready, so he didn't want to bring it up. Whatever it was, Garrett was sure it was something personal and not pack related.
"Good." Reed went into his own thoughts for a moment; thoughts of Evony were overtaking him. Until he could make her officially his, he had a feeling that moments like these were going to happen often. "Listen, I need you to keep close watch of Evony Morris. Don't let her out of your sight for anything." Reed hated that he couldn't just bring her with him for his meeting. Bringing her to another pack while unmated was just asking for trouble. Hell keeping her on even his own pack grounds while she was unmated was dangerous. However, while she was here, she'd have Garrett, Paul and Connor watching over her.
"Even during the run? You want her up top with me? You still have the enforcers watching her, why would she be ahead of the pack?"
"Ye
ah, I should mention that she's also my mate."
"Holy shhhh!" Garrett exclaimed excitedly while jumping out of his chair. He rounded the desk and congratulated Reed by slamming his palm to his shoulder. Reed couldn't even contain his smile and thanks from his friend. "Man, I know you're glad to finally get the council off your back."
At that, Reed groaned from frustration. The council had been pestering him to take a mate, whether a true mate or a second choice mate for several months now. They were under the impression that a wolf had to take up a mate to run the pack within ten years of taking over. He was well past the ten-year mark, but had been holding them back for some time. They haven't really pressed the issue but he knew that if he continued adding to his territory, they'd soon turn up the pressure.
"She wants, and I agreed to this, but she wants to wait before I claim her as my mate." Reed watched Garrett's face fall. "It's not because either of us is embarrassed or anything like that. You know how wolves act towards outsiders and she's got that in spades. Not only is she not from this pack, but, she's from a pack that would like nothing more than to see us fall. And now on top of that she's my mate? So many fake friends would surround her in a heartbeat. My Evony would rather know who she can trust as just an outsider before being thrown in front of the pack as the Luna."
"I guess it makes sense. I promise I won't let her leave my side tonight."
"Good thank you. I'm going to go ahead and take off then. The sooner I can get back, all the better."
Chapter 9
Evony hopped out of her Jeep and parked amongst the other cars that were in the small gravel lot in front of the pack house. She was excited for the mixer, well more like nervous. She hated meeting new people, but she knew in order for her plan to work, she needed to meet everyone as a new wolf. Otherwise what would be the point of being separated from her mate.
